Automatically-opening car-diaphragm.



APPLICATION FIL'ED MAR.20, 1913.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

mj/E 7%957? gall/m COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu, WASHINGTON, n, c.

-..' ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLYCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 20, 1913. Serial No. 755,573.

SYTH, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State 1 of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatically-Opening Car-Diaphragms, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In many styles of railway cars it is customary to use extensiblediaphragmswhich are collapsible andaccordion-shaped. It is oftendesirable or necessary to tilt the outer faceplate to which thediaphragm is at tached in order to obtain access to the buffer mechanismof the car. Heretofore, considerable difliculty has been experienced inthus tilting the face plate on account of the fact that when thisoperation is performed the plaits of the diaphragm are very. apt tobecome torn. V

In the co-pending application of Stanley W. Midgley, Serial No.691,341-7, filed April 17, 1912, a diaphragm is described in which manyof the faults of the prior construction have been overcome, sinceprovision is there made for having at least one of the plaits in eachleg of the diaphragm composed of two separate pieces of fabric, whichare attached to each other by means of studs, in

the ends of which are placed cotter pins. 7

Patent '#1,056,407 granted to me March 18,.

1913, I provide at least one of the plaits in each leg of the diaphragmwith a slit which extends tothe bottom of the diaphragm.

The edges of these slits are connected by fastening devices, which areautomatically released when the outer face plate is tilted, and one edgeof the slit is thereby forcibly pulled from the other edge. In this wayit is impossible for the diaphragm to become torn or injured through thenegligence of a workman. By the present invention, I provide not onlyfor the automatic release of the parts, but also against the accidentalseparation of the edges of the slits by reason of relative movement ofthe diaphragm plait due to swaying or jolting of the cars, or to buflingand draft strains. These and 1 other advantages of my invention will beH. FOR

more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, whichrepresent a preferred embodiment of my improvements, and in which,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the end portion of acar. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross section on the line 3-3of Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is an enlarged horizontal section showing theconstruction of one of the fastening devices; and Fig. 5 is a section onthe line 5-5 of Fig. 4;.

To one face of the end wall or post 10 of the car is fastened, by meansof a metallic strip 11, one end of aninverted U-shaped accordiondiaphragm composed of a plurality of inverted U-shaped strips of fabric'12 which are fastened together along their longitudinal edges in anysuitable manner, as, for example, by'the binding strips 13. Near thecenter of the diaphragm, one of the plaits Patented Nov. 18, 1913. i

thereof is allowed to remain open at its.

lower portion, thereby forming the slit 1 1 between the edges of thefabric 12. To the edges of the fabric adjacent to the slit 1% areattached a plurality of fastening devices represented as a whole by 15.

Any suitable type of fastening device the parts of which becomeseparated only on the application of a pull exerted on one certain edgeof one part in a direction away from the opposite part may be used inconnection with my device, but one preferred type of fastening device isillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. This fastening device comprises twomembers, one a shaft 16 having a head 17 and a stud 18 presenting thefiat shoulder 19. Engaging the short shaft or shank 16 are the washers20 which engage opposite surfaces of the fabric 12. The material 12 onthe opposite side of the slit 14 is clamped between the parts 21 and 22of the other two-part fastening member which is adapted for cooperationwith the stud 18. The part 22 is inthe nature of a head secured to theneck 23 of the part 21, the part 21 is shell like and has in the wall24: an opening 25 adapted to pass the stud 18 and within the shell aboutthe margin is arranged a spring 26 the ends of which extend insubstantially parallel relation across the opposite sides of the opening25 and are then deflected toward each other so as to presentsubstantially a neath that side of the shell 21 corresponding I to theopen end of the U the stud 18 readily separates from the shell 21 thereaches of the spring riding up on the periphery of the stud but if theshell be tilted from that side corresponding to the closed end of the U,the deflected ends of the spring engage bee .neazth the shoulder 19 andthe device is,

locked against separation, and likewise if the shell be tilted fromeither side of the U, separation being effected only when tilted at E a2 means being separable only by force applied the open end of the U.

:To the front end of the diaphragm is at; tached an outer face plate27of the usual ,and well known construction, the end of; this face platecooperating with the buifeiy mechanism of, the car representedgenerallyi When it is desired to tilt the outer face? plate 27 into theposition indicated in dotted; lines in Fig. 1 so as to obtain access tothe; buffer mechanism 28, the edges of the fabric' '12 on opposite sidesof the slitli are sepa .rated from each other throughout the lengthofsaid slit by the tilting of the face plate, the same swingingforwardly and upwardlyf in a vertical plane. The shells of the fasteningdevices are attached to the edges of the fabric with the open end of thespring U downward so that in tilting the face plate. the stud and shellare separated automatireally, whereas they will not separate by reasonof any movement of the edges later- ,ally or in a horizontallongitudinal direction. The separation of thefastening devices is, aswill be readily understood, a progressive one beginning, at the 'bottomof the slit and releasingeach of the fastening devices in turn by atilting action applied from below and directed forwardly and upwardly,this being the force naturally ex- ..erted in swinging the face plate asindicated. Then the face plate is returned to its normal position thestud 18 of each fastening device is readily snapped into engagement"with the spring 26, the beveled head serving to spread the spring as itenters.

Itwill be apparent to those skilled in the rable portions of each leg,said fastening means being separable onlyby force applied in a directionsubstantially lengthwise of the leg, substantially as described.

2. A car vestibule diaphragm, eachleg of which includesseparableaportions, and fastening means for holding together theseparable portions of each leg, said fastening means being separableonly by force applied. in a direction upwardly and substantiallylengthwise of the slit between the portions, substantially as described.

8. A car vestibule diaphragm, each leg of which includes separableportions, and fastening means for holding together the separableportions of each leg, said fastening upwardly and outwardly inasubstantially vertical plane, substantially as described.

E rable portions of each leg, said fastening means being separablebyforce applied in 'a'plane including the slit and not 1n a plane atright angles thereto, substantially as described.

5. A car vestibule diaphragm for a single ear, each leg of whichincludes portions separable upon a substantially vertical plane, andfastening means for holding together the separable portions ofeach leg,said fastening means adapted to be automatically. released only ontilting of that face plate to which the diaphragm is attached,substantially as described. 6. A car vestibule diaphragm of accordionform, andfastening means for hold- 'ing together the edges of thematerial, said fastening meansadapted to be automatically released onlyon tilting of the face plate to wh'ic'h the diaphragm is attached,substantially as described.

7 Acar vestibule diaphragm of accordion form having a plait in each legprovided with a slit therein, and cooperating fastening means on theedges of the fabric adjacent to said slit, said fastening means adaptedto be automatically released on the applica- WILLIAM H. I FORSYTH.

Witnesses }R. S. REYNOLDS, 'L-T. GRnIs'T.

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